A router, with the use of specific router bits, is often used to make dados, rabbets or grooves. The woodworker typically clamps a straight edge to the material into which the dado, rabbet or groove is to be cut or secures the material to be cut to a working surface having a straight edge. This straight edge, or fence, is used as a guide to enable the woodworker to make a straight cut at the desired location by running the base of the router along the fence. But often the dado, rabbet or groove must be wider than the width of the bit.
This requires the woodworker to move and reclamp the fence or material each time another pass or cut is made to increase the width of the dado, rabbet, groove or the like. This is repeated until the dado, rabbet or groove of the desired width is achieved.
Each time the woodworker moves the fence, the fence must be unclamped, repositioned, measured to ensure the proper cut is made, reclamped into position and remeasured to verify the position and to ensure the fence is still parallel to first cut. Often, the fence must be clamped and reclamped several times before it is properly positioned.
Each time the woodworker repositions the fence, there is a chance of error. If the fence is improperly located the resulting cut could make the dado, rabbet or groove either too wide, causing a waste of material; too narrow, causing the woodworker to reposition the fence to make another cut; or making a cut not parallel with the first cut, causing either wasted material or repositioning the fence to make another cut.
In addition to the possible errors, the process of repositioning the fence for repeated cuts is time consuming.
There are router guides available which attach to an existing router. But, these guides typically require repositioning the guide or readjusting the guiding surface each time a cut is to be made. These guides usually have an infinite number of settings within the specific range of finite adjustments. These types of guides, which require physical adjustment, are also subject to error and wasting time.
The widths of dados, rabbets or grooves usually corresponds to the widths of some standard size material. Thus, the guides which require an adjustment are usually overly complicated for the typical need. The widths usually correspond to the width of lumber, or other materials which fit into the rabbet, dado, groove or the like. For example, tongue and groove flooring typically has a standard size tongue and groove, and dimensioned lumber, which would fit into a dado or rabbet, has standard sizes, typically in one-eighth inch increments.
Thus, one of the objects of this invention to provide a router base which can be used as a guide, in conjunction with a fence, which is simple to use and which can be quickly and easily attached to the router in place of the original base or to the original base of a router without modifications.
Another object of this invention is to provide a router base which can be used as a guide and which allows the craftsman to make a dado, rabbet or groove wider than the width of the bit without repositioning the guide.
A further object of this invention is to provide a router base which can be used as a guide which enables the craftsman to make a number of cuts or passes of varying distances from the fence without readjusting the guide each time a cut is made.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a router base which can be use as a guide in making dados, rabbets or grooves of fixed and standard sizes.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a router base which can be used as a guide which enables the craftsman to make repeated cuts each exactly parallel to the first.
Yet a further object of the invention to provide a router base which can be used as a guide and which is economical to manufacture and sell so that it can readily purchased by the majority of craftsmen.